The unanimous decision came after several council members raised concerns that Coventry representatives had been unresponsive to employees' questions in the past. Council members Elton Lagasse and Chris Roberts gave examples of "horror stories" where employees in their offices or parish government had great trouble having medical procedures approved.

"When you go to a doctor's office and hand them a Coventry card, they cringe," Roberts said.

Patti Muller, vice president of sales and services for Coventry, said that the insurance company had to make sure that cheaper, "more conservative" options for treatment were explored before costly tests could be approved.

"You have to have checks and balances or you guys will not be able to
afford coverage," she said.

To allay such worries, the council requested Coventry representatives address employee concerns on a regular basis at meetings in both East and West Jefferson.

The council also chose Humana and Peoples Health to provide coverage for gaps in prescription drug programs for employees with Medicare HMO plans.

The seven-member panel decided to defer on selecting a firm to provide supplemental insurance coverage until its next meeting. The competition for the contract is between AFLAC, Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company, Allstate and Humana. An evaluation committee scored AFLAC's proposal highest and Colonial second.